Lofgren, Padilla Lead Reintroduction of Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act

WASHINGTON, DC – As Congress considers legislation to avert a pay cliff for federal firefighters later this month, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) – the elected Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation – led bicameral, bipartisan colleagues in introducing the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act to waive premium pay caps for federal firefighters working overtime to battle wildfires.

“Federal wildland firefighters perform dangerous, back-breaking jobs protecting our communities. Yet after they reach pay caps, they receive no overtime pay for the additional hours they work. Our commonsense legislation will strengthen our workforce and ensure firefighters receive the overtime pay they deserve for putting their lives on the line to protect us. Eliminating pay caps is the right thing to do for firefighters, their families, and for our communities,” said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

“As increasingly devastating wildfire seasons scorch our forests and endanger communities across the West, our federal wildland firefighting force deserves our full support for their heroic, dangerous work on the frontlines to keep us safe,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “The overtime pay caps force our firefighters to make an impossible choice: walk off the line or work for free. And they always choose to protect communities and save lives. This legislation is a necessary step to make sure our firefighters continue to get fair compensation as they put their lives on the line.”

The bill is co-led by Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Scott Peters (CA-50), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Katie Porter (CA-47).

Original co-sponsors include Sens. Steve Daines (R-MO), Jon Tester (D-MO), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Reps. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), and Adam Schiff (CA-30).

The legislation is endorsed by the National Federation of Federal Employees and the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters.

Click here for the full text of the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act.

Background

Federal firefighters who work for the Departments of Agriculture and Interior are paid on the general schedule pay scale based on their seniority and performance. They make a base salary and are paid overtime when they exceed eight hours a day. However, there is a salary cap that limits the number of overtime hours for which they can be paid.During wildfire season, many federally-employed firefighters exceed the pay cap and receive no pay for additional overtime hours worked, while others are forced to pay back money they rightfully earned fighting wildfires.

The current overtime pay cap serves as a disincentive for many experienced firefighters who would deploy to wildfire incidents, especially later in the fire season.This has a significant effect on federal wildfire response capabilities. Lifting the premium pay cap, as the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act will do, was included in the Biden Administration’s proposal to modernize compensation for federal firefighters.

The bill also directs the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to submit a report on the resources, policies, personnel or structural changes, and other investments necessary to support an expanded, year-round firefighting workforce. It is the first step to a paradigm shift in forest management to create longer-term solutions for our firefighters and communities.

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